The Traggob
by AlwaysObviously
Summary: The Traggob is the antithesis of a Boggart, feeding on your deepest desires. In what form will it reveal itself to Severus Snape?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Folks, I'm so wrapped up in work that writing time is scarce, and the muse is hyperactive. So although I wanted to write the next chapter for Guilty Pleasures, I did have to get this wonderful little idea on paper first.**

 **I have to say I enjoyed jumping between writing GP and The Harpy's Mistletoe, with THM functioning as a lemony fluff release when I needed it, and I thought it would be nice to keep the practice going. So I plan to add a chapter here or a chapter there, however inspiration strikes me. :)**

The Traggob

Chapter 1

His trembling fingers stopped just short of the knob that would open the wardrobe. He drew in a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. After so many years of desperate longing, he would finally have her. Lily Evans. The love of his life.

He knew that it was just a fantasy brought to life by his own desires. But deep inside his heart, he was mortally afraid that he would lose himself in this fantasy, that once he had indulged in this drug of all drugs, he would be unable to let it go, spending the rest of his life, savings and sanity to pay for a visit with the Traggob. That was the reason why when he had heard rumors about someone capturing the mythical creature, it had taken him so long to follow up. Would he be strong enough to resist it once he had experienced it? He thought about the Mirror of Erised and its lure, and decided that a Traggob must surely be just as addictive, if not more. Should he really dare to open the door?

A Traggob was the anti-thesis of a Boggart. Where the Boggart would take a look into your soul and make your worst fears come true, the Traggob would see your deepest desires and bring them to life. Severus knew that there had only ever be one true desire in his life – to be loved by Lily Evans. And even though it had been decades since her death, she still ruled his heart and his dreams.

In the last couple of months, she had appeared in his dreams more often, pleading, luring, whispering to him. He found himself thinking about the Traggob more and more often. Maybe if he went so see it, maybe if he gave in this one time, it would break the spell.

He had paid an insane amount of money for an hour in this room, and already five minutes had passed with him standing in front of the wardrobe, his hands trembling.

Squaring his shoulders, he lifted his hand and turned the knob.

Suddenly flooded by anxiety, he retreated a couple of steps and sank down into the plush chair placed a few paces from the wardrobe. He held his breath as he heard the low squeak of hinges, and the door swung open half-way.

The light in the room was dimmed, and the inside of the wardrobe appeared to be completely dark. All he could hear was the sound of soft breathing. A slender hand slid out, grasping the wood of the wardrobe in a caress that was almost sensual. Next, a bare foot followed, and as it was lowered to the ground it revealed a long, shapely leg to the light, the skin glowing pale with a golden tone. Slim hips, clad in black lace slithered into view, and his breath hitched.

His mouth was suddenly dry, and as he waited for the light to reveal her breasts, time seemed to slow down just to torture him. His fingers dug into the armrests of his chair as he finally caught sight of them, his eyes devouring every soft curve. They were perfect, just as he had known they would be. Flashes of fire raced under his skin. He raised his gaze to look into her beautiful emerald eyes… which were honey-colored.

"What the _FUCK_?!" he shouted, jumping up and gesturing at the near-naked form of Hermione Granger, standing in front of him. "What kind of twisted joke is this?"

….

He stared at Granger, dumbstruck. Was this some kind of scam? Was the Traggob not the real thing? Something must have gone awfully wrong. To show him Granger, of all people. If it had been about who annoyed him most, then he would have understood the choice. It was as if she had a secret talent to brush him the wrong way.

She had stayed on at Hogwarts after finishing most of her N.E.W.T.s with Outstandings, taking three of the subjects into consideration for her apprenticeship. Potions had not been one of them, although she had received an outstanding on her N.E.W.T.s in the very same subject.

Yet, she had not even inquired about the possibility of a Potion apprenticeship. He could not help but take it personally, convinced she had rejected it because she did not want to work with him. All those years of his unveiled sarcasm seemed to have taken their toll. He had thought she was stronger than that, that she would not have taken his behavior in the classroom personal, but it seemed he had overestimated her. He was disappointed, and it showed. He frequently turned his verbal barbs on her. She tried to give him as good as she got. On such occasions, he could not help but increase his sarcastic comments in nastiness, and she was incapable of not falling for it. So now and then, they would indulge in snarling contests that almost turned them into feral beasts when no one was looking. More often than not, this resulted in a week of mutual frosty silence. Slowly, then, they would turn back to their snarky, slightly acidic jeering. And the circle would start anew.

Why the Traggob had taken her form was unfathomable to him.

"Get back in that wardrobe and come out in the form that I expect you to!" he shouted at it.

The Granger-Traggob just smiled at him slyly. "Why so angry?" It took some steps towards him, until he was trapped between the chair and the Granggob, as he had dubbed it in his head. "It makes no sense to be angry at yourself, so why don't you stop and enjoy the situation?"

"Angry at myself?! I'm angry at _you_ , pulling off this scam."

"Scam?" She frowned, running a finger along her pursed lips. "I do not trick anyone. I am like a mirror – I can only display what is there, what you are giving me."

"I don't want _her_ ," he shouted, his hand waving in the air up and down in front of the Granggob, referring to the body it displayed. "I want the love of my life!" he hissed at her.

"Ah" she said, a mischievous smile lighting up her eyes. "There we have your error. If you've come here on the assumption that I would show you who you love, you've been sorely mistaken. I only show you your deepest, darkest desire."

He stared at the Granggob, speechless for a minute, before he started sputtering. "What?! Deepest what?! Who – _Granger_?! Are you utterly out of your mind?! This is beyond ridiculous! Absurd! I don't… No! … How?! Me? _Her_? … Never!"

He was pacing the length of the room, anger billowing around him as if it were a set of robes. Now and then he would stop in front of the Granggob, glaring at it, seething "Never!" before returning to his mad pace about the room. The Granggob just stood there, a sly grin on its pretty face, waiting for the man to come to a decision. Finally, he stopped, taking a deep breath.

"Is there any way to change what you display? Any spell, anything?" he asked desperately.

The Granggob studied him for a moment. "Think about my counterpart, the Boggart. What does it display?"

"The deepest fear."

"Exactly. How do you get rid of your deepest fear?"

"You face it."

"There you have it."

He stared at the Granggob, dumbstruck.

As understanding started sinking in, he was really seeing her for the first time that night. The way the luscious hair tumbled over her shoulders to frame her lithe body with wild corkscrew curls and how her large, luminous eyes shone on the soft light. His eyes came to rest on her pink, slightly parted lips that looked to inviting, and he wondered why he should not just give in and have a small taste, to see what it was like.

He drifted closer, raising his hands to run his fingertips over the soft skin of her arm. It felt wonderful. She stepped closer, her skin brushing his clothes and his breath caught in his throat. She lifted her head, moving it closer until her lips hovered over his.

He closed his eyes, anticipating her kiss when he felt her pulling back. His eyes snapped open, staring at her with irritation and confusion. She sighed. "It's not me you want. You want to kiss the _real her_. You're aware that I'm just an illusion, and that she still exists in real life. I cannot help you overcome your desire. You must face _her_ , not me."

At her words, he pictured it – him kissing Granger, the _real_ Granger, and he coughed as a wave of panic cut off all of his air supply.

...

A/N: My Traggob is made out of lovely reviews. *wink, wink*


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hermione looked up from her plate to see Severus Snape watching her. Their eyes locked, and she felt like she was being sucked into their dark depths. She could not tear her eyes away, and slowly, time ticked by with neither of them looking away.

She could read the usual anger in his expression, as well as the ever present disdain, but this time, she sensed another emotion playing in the black pools of his eyes, one that she could not put a name to. Her heartrate doubled as she kept staring at him. Something was different. Something had changed about him.

It had been over a week since their last confrontation, she realized. That was quite out of the ordinary. Usually, they would fight every other day, except maybe for the first couple of days after an intense show-down that left both of them drained.

She had hoped that after her graduation, his behavior would change from animosity to acceptance. She had been oh so wrong. It seemed that she just had a secret talent to irk him in the worst possible ways, and vice versa.

At first she had been hurt by his behavior, but after a couple of months, when they had found their bickering routine, she had kind of enjoyed their confrontations. Often, they revolved around theories on the inner workings of magic, and they often clashed at his disregard of 'foolish wand waving', which made up a large part of her research that she conducted for her charms apprenticeship. Although he often riled her to no end, his snarky comments often proved to lead her to new ideas with her research, and a large part of her findings, she had to admit grudgingly, were due to his pointing out holes in her theories.

It was very unsettling to have this routine disrupted. That routine had given her safety, clear boundaries for her feelings. It had been so hard those first months to keep herself from giving away that she felt more for him than she should. He could read most people like open books, and she had been terrified of his reaction if he ever found out that she had thought herself in love with him. That had been the precise reason why she had never considered potions for an apprenticeship. She loved the subject, but she had wanted to study with the best, and that was Severus Snape. She would not have lasted a week working alongside him without transmitting her feelings as clearly as if she had shouted them from the rooftops.

She didn't know if he ever wondered about her reasons for not even inquiring about an apprenticeship with him. He had never asked her. Most likely, he had not even considered that she might be contemplating an apprenticeship in Potions.

She was snapped back to reality by the waves of heat coursing through her body, caused by a penetrating stare of black eyes. The blood rushing in her ears had drowned out the sounds of breakfast going on around her, and she had almost forgotten where she was, seated at the staff table in the Great Hall. Luckily, it was summer, and currently no students were occupying the tables. Those little devils were a lot more observant than adults usually gave them credit for, Hermione thought, having gained a new appreciation for the teaching job once she got to know the other side.

She should look away now, she reasoned. Not only because the other professors might notice, but also, because she could feel a deep blush creeping up her chest, caused by her inner turmoil. All those feelings she had buried deep inside, that she secretly had hoped to have overcome, suddenly flooded her, her heart clenching in her chest as she kept staring at him, her heart beating wildly. How she loved his dark eyes, the stern lines of his face in contrast to the dark lashes that looked so soft. Suddenly, she could not bear the tension any longer. She pushed back her chair, breaking eye contact. Mumbling her excuses, she hurried out of the hall.

She ran off as soon as the doors had closed behind her, taking a wild turn here and there before finally stopping. She rested her back against the cool stones of the corridor wall, catching her breath. Damn that man for affecting her so. No one else had ever been able to make her react that way. She needed to pull herself together. She could not afford to feel like this if she had to work here and see him on a daily basis. She had to guard her heart at all costs.

A shadow fell over her, and when she looked up, her heart stopped in her chest before racing off in a mad rhythm. Snape towered over her, his intense gaze focused on her.

* * *

He didn't know what had gotten into him to stare at her like that. What had she made of his behavior? He had seen her surprise, then confusion, then an amalgam of emotions he couldn't place. They had stared at each other a lot longer than social standards allowed, and whatever her reactions had been, they had made her flee the hall.

Seconds after the doors had shut behind her, he had made his excuses and followed her. She was gone when he exited the Great Hall, but he could hear the sound of heels slapping the floor as she was running, and he set off in a quick jog to follow her. He slowed when he heard her stop, and silently glided along the corridor until she came into view, resting against the wall, her chest heaving.

She did not notice him until he was right in front of her, and when she looked up at him, she almost jumped, and he wondered if it was because he had appeared so suddenly or if it was a reaction to his person specifically.

Their eyes locked again, and he felt the same anxiety mixed with desire as he had before in the Great Hall. Ever since he had seen the desire and longing in the eyes of the Granggob, he could not help but wonder what it would be like to see these sentiments reflected in Grangers eyes. He was annoyed at these thoughts, because he realized how much he had been thinking about her in the past week, and how little Lily had occupied his mind. He had almost forgotten about her during those last intense days of pondering why the Traggob had shown him Granger. More the reason to get on with his exorcism, he thought. He needed to overcome this silly obsession, to finally get the Traggob to show him what – whom – he really wanted.

Granger didn't want him; that much was clear to him from her behavior she had always shown towards him. Sure, sometimes he had gotten the impression that she enjoyed their little fights, but it boiled down to a grudging acceptance that was nowhere close to attraction.

Still, he decided it might be enough to kiss her once, even if she didn't respond to his kiss, to get her off his mind enough for the Traggob to change.

Maybe it wasn't enough, but at this point, he was past caring about the consequences if he acted now. He needed to get this over with, overcome this obsession with Granger, to finally be able to see Lily stepping out of that wardrobe. The last couple of days, it had been harder and harder to concentrate on work, and he felt his control slipping. Something had to be done.

He placed his palms against the wall on either side of her face, leaning a bit closer, his eyes never leaving hers. He saw her eyes widen in confusion, but she did not push him away. Finally, his gaze dropped to her soft lips, slightly parted and inviting. He closed the distance between them, brushing his mouth over hers almost hesitantly. He had played out the scene a lot in his mind, but when it came to the act itself, it was a lot harder for him to gather the courage to really kiss her.

Time seemed to stand still as he pressed his lips more firmly against hers, nibbling slightly on her lower lip. Her hands came up to clutch at the fabric of his coat, and for a moment he thought she might push him away, but instead, she pulled him closer.

He gasped in relief, and as his lips opened, she responded in kind, providing him with a perfect opportunity to deepen the kiss. A burning sensation started in his stomach, pulsing, spreading through his body, making his limbs tingle. When her hands moved from his chest to wrap around his neck, her fingertips grazing the sensitive skin of his neck, the powerful responses of his body were making him feel light-headed. His hands came up to delve into her wild mop of hair, angling her head into a perfect position for him ravish her mouth.

Dimly, he was aware of heated sounds of desire, but if they had fallen from her lips or his or both, he couldn't tell. He was lost in this primal inferno, lost in her. How could such an annoying little twat make his heart race and his head swim? He could not get enough of her, feeling her body pressed against his, tasting her delicious mouth and exploring her soft skin under his fingertips. Hot flashes raced under his skin, and again he could not comprehend how she could make him feel that way.

Granted, she had grown into a brilliant and beautiful young woman, with a rare talent and keen intelligence that surpassed every other witch he had ever known – even if she was a terribly annoying, insolent little know-it-all – but still, she should not have been able to affect him that much. No woman had ever confused him so.

That thought was like a bucket of ice water thrown over him. What had he been thinking? _'surpassing every other witch' – 'no woman had ever…'_ It was like blasphemy to his memory of Lily. Somehow it seemed like betrayal to think such things of a woman that was not her, his only love. Anger at himself rose in his chest, erasing the wonderful tingles that had put goosebumps on his skin. He pushed himself away from her abruptly, and he could see the hurt in her eyes when she took in his expression and saw anger flashing in the depths of his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he rasped, before turning around and disappearing before she had a chance to respond. He did not turn around to see her slide down the wall and bury her face in her hands.

* * *

 **A/N: *wriggles her eyebrows, points discreetly towards the review button***


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Well, it really is true – Muses feed on reviews. As the last chapter of GP did not receive that much feedback and this little story did (Yes, I know, I do love fluff and lemons, too, but somewhere there needs to be a plotline so sweeten the fluff, and that's where we're at with GP right now), the next chapter of GP has been pushed back in favor of the next installment of The Traggob. If you want to push your favorite story, flood me with reviews, folks… ;)**

Chapter 3

Hermione closed the door to her quarters with trembling fingers, touching her forehead to the wooden surface. Emotions were swirling through her body, her thoughts scattered. She could not comprehend what had happened, why he had kissed her and what had caused his rejection.

Her fingertips softly stroked along her bottom lip as she remembered how soft his mouth had felt on hers, and how her body had exploded with ecstasy when their tongues had touched. She had often imagined what it would feel like, but reality had surpassed her wildest dreams. When she had stroked her fingers through his hair while his arms held her close, it had been pure bliss. And then…

And then he had pushed her away, and the look in her eyes had frozen her to the bone. Anger had been written all over his face, and she was sure she had even glimpsed a bit of disgust in the depths of his eyes.

The only logical explanation that seemed to present itself was that he had realized that she might have feelings for him and wanted to test her, gauging by her reaction if his assumptions had been correct. And fool that she was, she had proven him right. Why couldn't he just have asked her?

 _Because you would have lied to his face_ , she answered the question herself.

She felt a wave of despair claim her as she thought about what was to come, dreading the moment she would have to see him again.

* * *

Severus Snape sat in his chair, the fingers of his steepled hands touching his lips. His calm exterior did not betray any of the madness swirling within, a mixture of fury, guilt, disgust, confusion, desire and longing. For such a long time, it had seemed he had not felt at all, and now, there seemed to be too many emotions to process. He was overwhelmed, desperately fighting against this loss of control, looking for some measure to regain his senses.

He downed a Calming Draught and waited for the effects to set in. His emotions settled down but refused to disappear, always resurfacing after a while. This kiss had completely upset him. When the Granggob had first made its appearance, he had thought the idea ridiculous, convinced that there must have been some mistake, that the Traggob had not been the real thing, but now, after the treacherous reaction of his body, he was not so sure anymore. Somewhere deep within him, there _was_ a desire for Granger. How else could he explain the way his body had exploded into feeling when their lips had touched?

The truth of this admission caused his anger to resurface. After all these years of devoting his life to the right cause because of her, his great love, the idea of his body wanting someone else when his heart had been clearly given to her seemed to sully his love and devotion to Lily. That thought fed his guilt and anger even more, and he sat there getting angrier and angrier at the Traggob for showing him Granger. It seemed like the one thing that had given meaning to his life was being taken away.

His heart clenched at the thought that something could try to taint his devotion to Lily, and he was filled again with a longing for her that almost took his breath away. He wanted to see her so much, to reassure himself that she was the only one for him, that this kiss with Granger meant nothing – nothing – compared to what he felt for her.

Suddenly, it dawned on him that he could use his desperate emotional state to his advantage. Right now, his desire to see Lily was at the front of his mind, and the Traggob would just have to take her form right now.

Wasting no time, he spun around and grabbed the floo powder beside the fireplace.

* * *

He stood in front of the wardrobe, concentrating on his need to see Lily, letting the emotion fill his mind and heart. He unlocked the wardrobe and took a step back.

Anxiously, he waited as the door swung open, ever so slowly. He held his breath as slender limbs emerged, not daring to hope yet. Finally, when strands of fiery red hair spilled over her shoulders and she looked at him with her beautiful emerald eyes, his breath rushed out and his heart stopped in his chest.

"Lily," he whispered.

"Severus," she replied, her lips turning up in a sweet smile, her eyes shining with love. "Finally, we can be together."

She stepped closer, the soft fabric of her white summer dress almost touching the buttons of his frock coat. His eyes roved over her, and as her hands came up to slide along the sleeves towards his shoulders, a deep sigh of satisfaction escaped him, and he allowed his arms to slip around her waist to come to rest at the small of her back.

"I want to kiss you," he told her, and her hands grabbed the fabric of his coat as she rose on her toes and whispered: "Yes, please, Severus – kiss me!"

He closed the distance between them and touched his lips to hers. They felt so soft, and opened eagerly under his. Her mouth tasted sweet, almost like strawberries. There also was a flowery note to it, he thought. All in all an interesting, appealing amalgam.

Her tongue was very warm as it slowly stroked along his, and he scraped along her teeth as he followed her movements. It was a very slow, leisurely pace, and he wondered if he should increase the tempo. The flood of emotions he had prepared himself for was curiously absent. Maybe it took some time for everything to really register, he reasoned. Maybe, if he deepened the kiss, he could draw out the same electric tingling he had felt with – no! Don't think of her!

He pulled back, looking into Lily's face, taking in her dilated eyes shining with desire and pulled her close, one hand cupping her cheek, one lovingly stroking her backside while he pressed his lips to hers, increasing the intensity of their kiss.

He started growing desperate as he realized that his brain was scientifically analyzing the kiss while his body remained detached and almost unaffected. It was a pleasurable sensation, but he did not burn or tingle on the inside. He tried to suppress his frustration and instead focused on how those tingles had felt, which way the hot flashes had raced under his skin, how he had felt light-headed. He wanted to feel it so much.

Slowly, he felt it unfurling in his stomach. Finally, the heat was spreading, scorching shivers running up his spine. He groaned in elation, allowing himself to be swept away by the reactions of his body.

After what had been an awkward stumble, their tongues now performed an elegant dance that took his breath away. She even tasted better now, those overly sweet notes having disappeared and all that was left was the taste of fresh spring rain. He groaned at the sensation and the delicious taste, when suddenly, he realized he had tasted it before.

He ripped his mouth away and pushed back, staring into the eyes of Hermione Granger, sparkling with mirth.

"Why?!" he shouted.

She snorted at that and rolled her eyes. "Seriously, and here I thought you were a smart man. You know what I am, what I do."

"My desire was to see _her_ , to kiss _her_ – not Granger!"

"Yes, when you first came here, it was. But then you wanted to feel that wonderful elation you felt when you kissed Granger, so I changed."

"But I want to feel those emotions when I kiss _her_ , not Granger!" he shouted.

"Oh yes, and why not wish for world peace while you're at it," the Granggob replied drily. "Since we are obviously indulging in fantasies of things that are just not made to happen."

"What are you talking about?" he hissed at her.

"You don't really want _her_ – you want Granger," she replied with deep satisfaction.

"Preposterous!"

"You know it is pointless to lie to me, right? It is essentially the same as lying to yourself. With the difference that you won't get me to believe you. I mean…" she waved her hands at herself, pointing out whose body she had currently taken.

"I've kissed her and overcome my desire," he ground out.

"Hm." The Granggob motioned for him to take a seat and pulled up an armchair for herself, positioning it so that it was facing him. She sat down on the edge and reclined so that the white summer dress was riding up her thighs.

"Did you notice that I am not wearing any knickers today?" she said conversationally.

His eyes instantly fell to her knees, which she opened slowly by a fraction of an inch at the time. Everything was hidden in shadow due to her dress, but his eyes stayed riveted on the spot between her legs nevertheless. He was holding his breath, his eyes dilated.

She put her hand in her lap, pulling slowly on the material of the dress so that it was inching up her thighs, baring more and more of her legs to the light, but still it did not quite reach that secret place at the apex.

His breathing was irregular, his eyes fixed on that one spot, waiting for her to go on, when she stopped. He looked up at her face with confusion, and saw surprise and disappointment in her eyes as she sighed and pushed the dress back down to her knees.

"You don't want _me_ , either" she said regretfully. "You needn't have worried about becoming addicted to me – you're too aware that I am an illusion when you could have the real thing. You want Granger. In the flesh."

Severus was half disappointed, half relieved that the Granggob had not treated him to that special view. "But I kissed her. It should have driven my irrational desire out."

"Yes, because a kiss is all you'd ever want, right?" she said sarcastically.

He glowered at her.

"Just imagine," she whispered "if just a kiss from Granger can make you feel that way – how is sex with Granger going to feel?"

As his mind tried to wrap around the idea, he could not suppress a groan.

* * *

 **A/N: You know what to do! There's the review button. Do your duty, or I'll be holding the smut hostage ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: You see, it worked! Your reviews do matter so much! They make my day and keep me writing. As a result, you're getting a superfast update – I was inspired by some of the questions and concerns that were raised, so I tried to answer some of them in the conversation with the Granggob, resulting in this very chapter.**

 **Thank you to Sassenachstarbuck for suggesting to change "Graggob" into "Granggob" - it makes it clearer that it's not a spelling mistake and has a nicer ring to it, don't you think?**

 **By the way, if you enjoy a snarky Snape, there are some fantastic videos on youtube by Amchoupiegirl, I do love "When Snape loses his temper" and if I need some visual smut (Oh, yes!) I'm watching the end of "Hold her closely". You'll probably need that, since I'm still holding the smut hostage. ;)**

* * *

Chapter 4

He studied the Granggob. "So you think sleeping with Granger is going to get rid of the problem?"

She glared at him. "No, you complete moron. There is not 'problem' to get rid of, except maybe for some idiotic notions that you are entertaining."

"Oh, and what might those be?" he replied scathingly.

"Maybe the idea that you could be eternally in love with a woman that has been dead for decades? Even though there is someone much better suited out there for you?"

"What are you talking about?! 'Better suited' – _Granger_?! She does nothing but annoy me, and she's half my age. I have no deeper feelings for her."

She just regarded him with a smirk on her face, moving closer, trailing a hand up his chest, cupping his cheek. His breathing sped up as his pupils dilated. She leaned towards him, her lips only a hair's breadth away from his as she whispered: "If you only desired her body, you would not hesitate to ravish me right now."

She pulled back a bit, a challenge in her eyes as they locked onto his. He stared at her, annoyed at her implication, but also unable to contradict her.

"Fine. If you say so." Doubt was written clearly over his face.

"Well, basically, _you're_ saying so." She grinned at him and snuggled back to her chair and regarding him expectantly. "So, how does Granger feel about you?"

"Um…" was all that Severus could manage at that moment. For the first time he realized that he had been so caught up in his own world, his own problems, he had completely forgotten about Granger's reaction to the kiss.

He recalled how her hands had moved up to clutch at his coat, pulling him closer, her mouth opening willingly under his. She had obviously enjoyed his kiss – but why? Her behavior towards him after her graduation seemed to make it very clear that she did not harbor any friendly feelings towards him. So why had she returned his kiss with such ardor?

The Granggob studied him, a smug smile on her face, as if she could read his inner confusion clearly spelled out in his face. "How did she react to the kiss?"

"Well – she kissed me back."

"That's a good sign, I would say. So how did it happen – did you take her out on a date?"

His brows furrowed as he studied the fabric of his pants, brushing invisible lint from his knee.

The Granggob moved closer, poking his leg with her index finger. "No restaurant? Romantic dinner at the castle?"

He glanced at her, suddenly looking miserable as he gave a mumbling account of how the kiss had come to pass and how he had reacted to it.

"You daft dimwit!" she shouted, slapping the back of his head. "That girl is in love with you and you've probably broken her heart."

"I beg your pardon?!" Severus was flustered. "How exactly did you come to that conclusion?"

"Well, from what I have grasped so far, your relationship revolves around the two of you annoying each other at every turn. One would think she did not really like you. Yet, when you kiss her – or should I say ambush her – does she push you back and slap you? Or let you down gently? Oh no. And that can only mean one thing: under all that pretense, she wants you very much. And now she probably thinks you just played her. Well done, Severus, well done."

"But…" He held his hands up in a gesture of helplessness "I didn't know she felt that way. If she even does. I'm still not sure there is not some other explanation. She can't have feelings for me – the whole idea is just absurd."

"Absurd or not, everything points that way. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…" She gave him a meaningful look. "So, if we assume she has feelings for you, then…"

"…then I should probably go and apologize for being an incredible fool."

"Mh-hmm." The Granggob nodded in agreement.

"I should have considered her feelings before…"

The Granggob gave him an exasperated look that said _**Duh**_.

He sighed deeply at that. "I'm not really used to the idea to consider the feelings of others. It's not something I have much practice with." As he studied her, his eyes became troubled.

"What about you?" he asked the Granggob. "If what I have read about you is correct, then I cheated you out of your payment, so to say." He averted his eyes, feeling uncomfortable. The Traggob, as a non-being, needed energy to sustain its form. It fed off the strong emotions that were called forth when it revealed itself to its victim, but its main sustenance was derived when the victims reached their orgasm, as this allowed the Traggob to siphon off a lot more energy than just by the emotions alone. The Granggob was basically starving in his presence.

The Granggob considered this, tilting her head. "Well, you don't want to kiss me. You don't want to sleep with me." She pursed her lips, tapping a finger against them. "But there is one thing we have not yet tried, and I think you might like the idea." Her eyes glinted as she looked at him, and he gave a short nod to give his consent for her to continue.

She stood up slowly, taking two steps to where he was sitting, and slowly nudged his knees apart with her leg. She settled on her knees between his thighs and raised her hands to slowly unbutton his pants. He stared at her, shocked, but clearly aroused. She slid the tip of her tongue out to wet her lips as she pulled him free of his confines.

She bent over him, her hot breath scorching his skin. Just as she was about to slide her lips over the tip, he shouted: "Stop!"

She leapt up triumphantly, bracing her arms on his knees while she stared him down. "Why?"

He looked at her apologetically. "It felt like… betrayal. As if I cheated."

She did not relent, her stare becoming more intense. "Cheated on whom?"

He glared at her for a minute before he reluctantly growled out: "On Granger."

"Ha!" The Graggob jumped up, skipped to her chair and pointed a finger at him, one of her eyebrows raised in amusement. "There you go."

"This doesn't prove a thing."

The Graggob just smiled its smug smile and nestled deeper into the armchair.

He sighed deeply. "And again, I have wasted your time."

He looked up, confused, at her peal of laughter.

"Oh, Severus, seriously. What do you think I'm doing here all day long? My employer has more than enough business to keep me sustained. You could say I'm gorged. This is actually quite a nice distraction. I enjoy our little talks. And the glimpses inside your soul." She shot him a mischievous grin at than, wriggling her eyebrows.

He scowled at her words. Somehow it was… unsettling to think about how she had to spend her time.

"Oh Gods, stop it, you," she interrupted his musings. At his surprised glance, she elaborated. "It's always the same with you humans when the subject turns to sex business. It does not mean the same to me at it does to you. I'm not getting 'emotionally damaged' in the process."

The scowl remained on his face. "But if it were someone you found repulsive…"

She sighed at him. Silly humans. "Imagine a veterinarian – do you know what that is?"

"A muggle pet doctor."

"Yes. So, imagine being a veterinarian and then someone brings in a dog. A very old, smelly dog, who loses its pee all over the place. It is horrible, smelly, dreadful, but the love shining in its eyes when it looks at you because it knows you will help and make the pain go away – that makes it all worth it. You touch nasty places and do vile things with smelly substances. Yet, the vet is not ashamed of his work. He is proud to have helped this creature. It's kind of like that with me."

Severus shuddered. Somehow, that had not reassured him in the way she had planned.

She threw up her hands. "I give up. Humans just don't get it."

They sat in silence for a while before she interrupted his thoughts again. "Sooo… what about Granger now? Are you going to have 'the talk'?"

He stood up, pacing the length of the room. "I just don't know what to tell her. I'm so confused about what I feel and for whom, how can I not make everything worse? I'm no good at talking to people about emotions, and I'm afraid whatever came out of my mouth would hurt her no matter the original intent."

Why did emotions have to be so puzzling and hard to grasp, making him unsure what he really felt? It was only when he was with the Granggob that he seemed able to sort himself out and get a clearer view on what he really wanted. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him and he turned around and fixed his stare on her.

"Could I not bring her here and let you explain?"

The Granggob slowly lifted an eyebrow and regarded him with an unreadable expression.

"So, you mean bring this deeply emotionally confused girl here, shock her with the realization that she's your Traggob and then have the whole miserable dilemma explained to her by me, wearing her own face?"

Severus had flinched during her speech and regarded her warily.

"I love it!" she exclaimed enthusiastically, and at his surprised face, said: "What? I'm no saint. This is just too much delicious entertainment for me to let this opportunity pass. You get the firewhiskey, I'll see if I can find some Swiss chocolate, then we'll talk about how this whole thing is going to go down. You with me?"

He gave her a curt bow to seal the deal and strode off to find a bottle of Odgen's.

* * *

 **A/N: Pay up the ransom! Reviews get you closer to you-know-where ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for your lovely reviews, you're the best! I devour each and every one of them. As you can see, they are working – another chapter up in a day.**

 **Still, I think I should clarify again that this story is going to be equivalent to The Harpy's Mistletoe in the way the story builds – meaning the big bang needs a little bit of a fluffy build-up. I hope you do not expect this chapter to be: /Him: Sex?/ She: Oh, yes!/ Then: They bang!/**

 **Although, yes, that is the basic idea behind the story, so please bear with me. ;)  
**

 **This is a fluff release story and I do try to take the shortest path to the lemons, but a little bit of plot needs to be thrown in to illustrate the realizations that they are having and the emotional changes that they are going through.**

 **I assure you (in reply to a guest review) that the last chapter was not a filler chapter. Indeed, I'm not sure if we didn't even save time in the long run. Thanks to SlavetoSeverus' questions, I extended the talk with the Granggob, which led to** _ **her**_ **being the one to make him realize Hermione's true feelings. This way, it was a lot quicker and more amusing than having him realize it over deep brooding in front of a fireplace nursing a whiskey, which would have been the alternative. A lot better this way, don't you agree?**

 **I love it that you guys made me include the Granggob more than originally planned, especially as she turned out to be quite sassy. It is so great to be inspired by your input!**

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Chapter 5

He stood in front of her door, trying to force himself to knock. It was a lot harder than he had imagined. Finally, drawing a deep breath, he knocked. The door was pulled wide and there she was, staring at him in shock. Clearly, she had not expected it to be him. He was about to speak when she slammed the door shut, the booming sound of it hitting the frame ringing through the empty hallway.

He rested his forehead against the door, at a loss as to what to do next. Minutes ticked by and he was none the wiser as to how to proceed when he heard a soft click and the door was opened ever so slowly to reveal Granger, glaring at him, her anger apparent in her eyes.

"You're a selfish, mean bastard!" she hissed at him.

He hung his head. "I agree."

"That was a cowardly way to act and you should be ashamed of yourself."

"Again, I cannot contradict the truth of your statement," he said, "but please, let me explain."

He looked up at her with pleading eyes, and she found herself saying: "Fine. Talk."

"It's not that easy. But I can show you something that can explain everything. Please, come with me?" He held out his hand.

She regarded him warily, and as time ticked by, he was afraid she would not come, but finally, she gave a curt nod and strode past him into the hallway, ignoring his outstretched hand.

* * *

Hermione studied Severus Snape's back as he walked down the corridor in front of her. He had only spoken when it was necessary, and had not explained where they were going. She was half curious, half annoyed as she tried to keep up with his long strides.

Finally, they came to stop in front of a door, and as his hand lingered on the doorknob, he met her eyes for the first time since she had found him in front of her door. He seemed wary, almost afraid as he opened the door and led her inside the room.

She stepped over the threshold and looked around. A couch and some armchairs were arranged in the middle of the room. An enormous Victorian wardrobe towered over the furniture, occupying the space next to the couch. As if it could feel that it was looked at, the huge wooden frame trembled.

Hermione gasped, glancing at Snape. "A boggart?"

He winced, and a strange look came over his face, and she realized it was embarrassment when he whispered: "A Traggob."

She drew in a sharp breath. She had read about the non-being, but she had not known it was real. She knew what it did and involuntarily took a step back, putting even more distance between them. It was bad enough that Snape had found out about her feelings for him, he did not need to know how far they went.

Why had he brought her here? She was clearly aware of what, or rather whom, it would show to Severus. Harry had told them about what he had seen in Snape's memories, so she knew about his eternal love for Lily Evans.

Suddenly, she was gripped by fear as understanding dawned – he did not know she knew about this, and obviously he was here to show her why the two of them could never have a chance – to confront her with the stark truth of his eternal love for Lily. For a moment, she was overtaken by fury that he would reveal it to her this way, but then she realized that he was not a man that would be comfortable or even able to talk about his deepest, darkest emotions, and so, with a heavy heart, she took a seat and motioned for him to proceed, resigning herself to her fate.

For a while, he just stood there, before he finally took some reluctant steps towards the wardrobe. He shot her a look, and at the moment he looked to vulnerable, almost lost, that she wanted to comfort him, but the moment passed quickly and he finally turned the knob, stepping back to take a seat across from her, but still closer to the wardrobe.

She held her breath as the door swung open slowly and braced herself for the pain to come. The first thing she saw was a denim-clad leg emerging, sporting a sneaker. She frowned at that, thinking that she had somehow always pictured Lily in robes, not in jeans. When she finally looked up to study her face, her was dumbstruck. There, wearing a pink shirt, a smug smile and quite obviously no bra, stood herself.

She gaped at the Traggob, then at Snape. At her flabbergasted expression, he shrugged, holding up his hands, saying: "I was just as surprised as you are."

Hermione sat there, thunderstruck. She still could not comprehend what she was seeing. How could his traggob take her form? She had been so sure that it would show someone else. It made no sense at all. "I thought," she said, hesitating before addressing this delicate matter, "that your traggob would show you Lily."

He gasped as the name left her lips, and his surprise made it evident he hadn't known that Harry had told her about it. Anger and hurt flashed in his eyes, but the harsh words he would probably have bestowed on her were drowned out by a cackle of the traggob.

Both of them turned around to stare at it.

"Oh, this is good," it said. "You had no idea she knew, did you, Severus? No wonder she was looking so terrified when I stepped out of the wardrobe." It regarded them with amused eyes. "This is going to be a fun night. So many secrets to reveal. Should I start explaining or do you want to, Severus?"

He waved at her to begin, clearly uncomfortable with the whole situation. Hermione frowned at the strange connection between the two of them. They seemed almost like… friends.

The traggob leant forward in her chair, fixing its eyes on Hermione. "You see, the core of the problem is this: Severus is in complete denial about the fact that he is in love with you."

"WHAT?!" Snape jumped up from his seat, towering over the traggob. "That's not what we were talking about! Has half a bottle of my finest firewhiskey permanently damaged your brain? That's not what this is about at all!"

The traggob leaned to the side to be able to peek around Severus to catch Hermione's eyes. "Denial!" it mouthed to her, pointing a finger at Severus.

Snape growled at the traggob and snarled: "You keep to what we've talked about. No more of your dim-witted interpretations."

"Yes, sir, Professor Snape!" The traggob saluted him.

He glowered at her intensely before returning to his seat. With a deep sigh, he faced Hermione.

"As I said, I was as confused at her appearance as you are," he said, glancing at the traggob. "I have been seeing the Gr… the traggob for a few sessions, trying to work on this dilemma." Hermione's face froze at his words, becoming a blank mask.

A snort interrupted him. "What?!" he growled at the traggob.

"Oh, now I know why you wanted to let me do the talking." It sniggered. "The way you phrased it, she'll surely think you and I were fucking."

He looked up in shock, first at the traggob, then at Hermione, realizing that it had been right.

He grew visibly flustered before biting out: " _Noofcoursewewerenotfucking_!"

* * *

Jumping up, he started pacing the room, careful to always be closer to the Granggob than to Hermione. He didn't want to risk it changing its form, although he could not deny that a part of him wondered who her traggob would reveal, and that this part also hoped very much that it turned out to be him.

He was trying to find the right words – there just didn't seem to be any – when he reached the wall and turned around in time to see the Granggob sliding out of its seat, and with three long strides, stood right in front of Hermione. Their eyes met, hers in shock, the Granggob's glittering with mischief before the shape of its body trembled, the colors of her shirt blending into her jeans - then everything was a swirling mess of grey vapor before it reformed into a lean body clad in voluminous black robes.

Severus gasped as he saw the traggob in full teaching regalia, looking so much like himself but yet so different. The look in its eyes was completely foreign to him, but it looked like a mixture of love and tenderness. The traggob pulled Hermione up by her hand, sliding an arm around her waist and cupping her cheek. When it opened its mouth, it spoke one word in the deep, gravelly voice that he had when he first woke up in the morning: "Hermione."

She gave a small whimper at that and melted into the traggob's embrace while its lips came down to capture hers.

Severus was frozen on the spot, seeing the scene unfold before his eyes but unable to move. It was wonderful and horrible to see at the same time. But then he saw the traggob's hand slide down to squeeze her backside and when she groaned in response, it pushed its tongue into her mouth. Suddenly, a murderous, jealous rage overtook him.

In an instant, he was upon them, ripping them apart, pushing his doppelgänger against the wall. The moment his hands touched the traggob, the vapors started swirling again and the Granggob was revealed, grinning up at him.

"Don't touch her!" he hissed at it.

"Oh, but it was so worth it," the Granggob whispered back. "Think about what it all revealed – it showed us her true desires, plus you were being incredibly jealous and that tells us something about you, too."

He glared at it.

The Granggob leaned closer to speak in an almost silent whisper into his ear. "And the best thing about it was that she was just melting in my arms when I kissed her. The energy I could siphon off her emotions was like a five course meal. Delicious."

It pulled back to smirk at him, its eyes glittering with amusement at the thunderous look in his eyes that said he would very much like to wring its neck.

* * *

 **A/N: Oh this is so much fun! If you love the Granggob, too, send a review ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Yay, another one in a day! I love how you keep me writing. I don't think I have ever written that much in such a short time. Keep the reviews coming! :)**

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Chapter 6

"…like a five course meal. Delicious" the Granggob purred, smirking up at him.

At that moment, the dark beast of jealousy raised its head again, flooding him with pictures of the Traggob masquerading as himself, pushing its tongue into Granger's sweet little mouth. He wanted to strangle it.

Belatedly, he realized he had fallen into another one of Granggob's traps. It wanted to make him react that way, to rub his jealousy in his face. Severus was furious, mostly at himself.

"Cut it out, now!" he hissed at the Granggob. "Just stick to the plan and do as I say!"

"Ooooh. Feisty." It grinned. "Well fine, because you asked so nicely I'll explain your misinterpretation of the facts to her."

"What 'misinterpretation of the facts'?! I know what I feel for…" He shot a quick glance over his shoulder at Granger, who regarded them with troubled eyes, and made sure his voice stayed at a whisper. "…for Lily. My feelings towards her haven't changed in all those years, so there must be some other explanation as for why you keep appearing wearing this body."

"I can't believe it!" the Granggob exclaimed in a harsh whisper. "Are we back at the beginning?! And there I thought I had just broken through to you!" She poked her index finger repeatedly into his chest to emphasize the questions she now hurled at him, her voice carrying no farther than his ears but still as sharp as a blade. "How do you explain your body's reactions to her kiss? Why were you so jealous when she kissed me? And, most importantly, how do you explain your inability to have sex with me? If it walks like a duck and so on, for God's sake!"

"And how do you explain that my feelings for Lily are just as strong as ever and have not changed in quality ever since she has died?!" he stepped closer to the Granggob, glowering down at it, his anger and frustration almost making him tremble.

"Isn't it obvious?" The Traggob curled its lip in a sneer, but as it looked up in his face, its expression changed, becoming almost caring. It took one of his hands into her own. "I could tell you, but your reaction to it would be rather… explosive, I might guess. I will tell you my theory on this another time, I promise. But for now, we really need to get back to business before this whole thing falls apart. The way Granger looks at me makes me think she wants to skin me alive. She does _not_ like me."

"Well, that doesn't come as a surprise, don't you think, considering how you are flaunting some of her better assets?" he hissed at her, pulling his hand free and squeezing the air in front of his chest with his long, slender fingers, referring to her breasts and their obvious lack of bra. "Couldn't you have been a bit more sensitive with your outfit choice?!"

"Me?!" The Granggob gaped at him. " _You_ are responsible for this! It's not like I can choose what I look like." With a smirk, it added: "And if you keep staring at them, they are going to pucker, you know."

Snape cursed and held up his hands trying desperately to shield her breasts from his view, warding off the image that was forming in his mind. This was all going so wrong, and he didn't even want to think about what Granger thought about all of this.

"Enough stalling," he said. "Let's get this over with."

"Yes, Sir, Professor Snape!" The Granggob replied enthusiastically and walked past him to reclaim her chair.

* * *

Hermione sat in her chair, oblivious to what was going on around her. She was bombarded with emotions that deeply confused her. When the Traggob had stepped in front of her, she had been terrified because she had known what it would reveal, and she was not ready yet for Severus to know. But then the Traggob had changed and everything that had troubled her had just melted away. When she had looked into his eyes filled with love for her, _only_ her, it had been like someone had mended everything that was broken in the world, and the moment had become perfect when he had kissed her. In that instant, she had known he was hers, and she was his, and nothing could ever come between them. It had been heaven. And then Snape had ripped them apart, and the illusion had come crashing down around her.

After that, everything seemed to make no sense and perfect sense at all. So many theories about his reaction to her Traggob were bouncing around in her head that it made it hard for her to concentrate. Why had he ripped them apart – was it jealousy? But concerning who? Had he been jealous of her kissing another? Or had he been jealous of his Traggob changing into a different shape to please someone else? The two of them seemed awfully comfortable with each other. She studied them, contemplating that thought.

They stood away from her in a corner, Severus with his back to Hermione, his tall frame blocking most of the view of the Traggob. They were whispering to each other energetically, standing rather close to each other, she noticed. Her breath caught in her throat when she watched the Traggob lean forward and whisper something into his ear, wearing her face. Then it pulled back and shot Severus a grin that spoke of a shared secret or humor. Something dark and nasty began to burn inside Hermione's stomach.

They kept whispering, and sometimes turned to shoot a quick look into her direction before turning back to their conversation. The Traggob seemed to touch Severus, but because his back was to her, she could not see what exactly she was doing. She could see Severus' reaction, though, when he seemed to tremble at her touch.

What was going on there? Her heart stopped in her chest when she watched the Traggob look up at Severus with a tender expression, cradling his hand in its own. At that moment, she wanted to kill the Traggob.

It chose that moment to look at her. There was a mischievous glint in its eyes before it turned back towards Severus. He pulled his hand away from its grasp, and Hermione was about to breathe a sigh of relief; but then she saw that both of his hands now moved towards her breasts, hovering in front of them as if he was almost helpless to keep himself from touching them. His hands stayed like that for a while before he reluctantly pulled them away. Now she wanted to kill them both.

When they finally turned around and walked back, settling in their respective chairs, she seethed at them: "I find it hard to believe the two of you haven't been fucking, to tell the truth."

Snape gaped at her in astonishment, while the Granggob sniggered. "I told you," she shot at Severus and then leaned back in her chair to study Hermione with amusement before speaking up again.

"Seriously, there's nothing going on between the two of us," it said, indicating Severus and itself. "Nothing ever happened. We're just kind of… friends?"

Severus nodded in agreement: "Yes. Nothing happened."

"Well, except for that kiss…" The Granggob mused into the awkward silence.

Severus looked at the Traggob as if he would like to strangle it. Then he turned to Hermione, looking very uncomfortable as he cleared his throat and said: "Well, there was this one time when it showed me Lily…"

He saw the hurt and pain flashing in her eyes as the words fell from his mouth, and without thinking, he spoke quickly: "It didn't mean anything."

"HAAAA!" The Granggob shouted, jumping up and pointing both index fingers at Severus. "AH HA!"

Severus' face lost all color as he replayed the words in his head. He turned towards the Traggob, holding up both hands as if to ward off its accusations. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Then you would not have said it like that," it countered.

"I wasn't thinking!" he argued.

"HA!" it shouted again. "That's a point for me. You weren't thinking, ergo you spoke the truth!"

He stared at the Granggob with a thunderous look in his eyes, unable to form the words to contradict her but unwilling to accept her words as the truth. His feet transported him to a corner of the room silently seething in anger, trying to calm his nerves while his thoughts swirled around in his head, a heavy guilt settling in his heart for what he had said about his kiss with Lily. He kept his back turned to the others as not to let them get a glimpse at how upset he was.

While his back was turned, the Traggob silently slid out of its chair to move in front of her again. Hermione shrank back at the swirling vapors, but when the Severus-Traggob appeared to offer her his hand, she was unable not to take it and let herself be pulled from her seat. He slid his arms around her, his eyes again shining with love for her. It was so wonderful to see, making her heart sing – and yet, her eyes traveled to the corner of the room where the real Snape stood, his back held rigidly and the fist at his side trembling. Her heart ached for him.

As if he had felt her eyes on him, he turned around. His gaze turned from troubled to furious as he was taking in the sight of her wrapped in the Traggob's arms. Something seemed to snap in the depths of his eyes and with a whirl of his robes, he lunged at them.

Before he could reach them, the Traggob stepped into his path, stopping him by grabbing his arms.

Hermione was treated to the absurd sight of two Snapes struggling with each other before one of them poofed into grey vapor and reformed as herself. The other Snape let his hands fall away instantly, but the rage in his eyes was no less threatening as he stared down at the Traggob.

"Relax," it said with a smirk, completely unimpressed by his towering frame. "Nothing happened – not even a kiss. She also rejected me because she desires the real you. Funny how the two of you have that in common, don't you think?"

His brows drew together at the words of the Traggob, and then he glanced at Hermione.

Their eyes locked, and suddenly, it was as it had been back in the Great Hall. Neither could look away, and both of them felt waves of heat coursing through their bodies.

Hermione's heart raced off in her chest. Did she dare believe that he really wanted her when he seemed to have his doubts himself? Should she take the leap and see where this led or should she try to guard her heart at all costs? She just wanted him so much it hurt, and she was not sure which decision was the right one.

When his pupils dilated, she decided she didn't much care for lists weighing pros and cons at the moment. What she wanted was _him_.

Although she had not given any indication of the decision she had made, he seemed to sense a change in her as he looked at her with smoldering eyes.

"Ooooh, this is getting interesting," the Granggob said from its place on the couch where it sat, fanning itself.

* * *

 **A/N: Full steam ahead now. Almost there. You know what to do. ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I missed the Granggob. So here we go…**

* * *

Chapter 7

The Granggob studied the two people glaring at it.

"Don't let my presence stop you," it said, shooting them an innocent smile, and watched their glares turn into irritated scowls.

"Very funny," Severus growled and walked towards his chair, trying to shake off the feelings that his shared look with Miss Granger had elicited. "Let's get back to business."

The Granggob hooked one of its feet around the leg of Severus' chair and pulled it away before he could seat himself in it. "Actually, I think we're about done here," it said, rising from the couch.

Severus whirled around to face it. "I beg your pardon?!" he whispered fiercely. "We haven't even touched half of what we talked about last time."

"She knows enough. You can take over from here on out," the Granggob replied reassuringly.

Severus paled, then grasped the Granggob's wrist, his voice a harsh whisper. "I am not ready. You know what comes out of my mouth if I try to talk to her. I need you there to tell me when I've fucked up!"

It grinned at him. "You don't need _me_ for that. Just watch her closely when you are talking to her. Believe me, it will show on her face if you've fucked up."

He gave an annoyed snort, but the Granggob insisted. "No, really, I mean it. If you see she's reacting strangely, think back about what you said right before you picked up on her reaction. Look at it from every angle, then contemplate how a completely insecure dimwit might perceive those words – yes, that's humans in love for you – and if even that offers no further insight, then ask her if you've just royally fucked up without noticing."

He gave her an exasperated look, but after the Granggob just kept looking at him expectantly, he understood. "You really mean this. I should just go ahead and ask her outright?"

"Yes. Why make everything so complicated and second-guess yourself? You've both been running circles around each other for months because you suffered from self-induced misunderstandings as neither of you was capable of just speaking the truth. It's time to air the closet." With that, it folded its arms across its chest and gave a satisfied nod.

Severus opened his mouth to reply when the Granggob grasped his upper arms, spun him around and pushed at his back, propelling him towards the door. "Time's up. Out you go."

When they had almost reached the door, it turned its head to look at Hermione, who had been rooted to the spot during their conversation, studying them with narrowed eyes.

"Miss Granger," it purred, "do you want to escort dear Severus here back to the castle or did you intend to stay a bit longer? I could change into something more… comfortable, if you like." It arched an eyebrow, oddly reminiscent of a certain Potions Master.

When she jumped into action and bustled out of the room, giving the Granggob a wide berth, it chuckled softly in amusement.

Hermione could have sworn that under those soft chuckles, she'd heard the Traggob whisper. "A shame."

* * *

Severus poured the amber liquid into two tumblers, placing the bottle of firewhiskey back onto the table. He picked them up and moved towards the fireplace in his living room, where Miss Granger was seated in one of the two armchairs. He held out one of the tumblers to her and she took it from him, mindful that their fingers were not touching.

He settled down into the other chair, swirling the liquid while collecting his thoughts. They had not spoken much on the way back to his quarters except to establish that they would resume their talk there. Now that they were here, though, he did not know how to start.

He cleared his throat. "I am sure you are aware that there are some differences in the… interpretation the Traggob and I have had towards why it appeared the way it appeared. I do not deny that there is a deep… attraction that I feel for you, although I cannot fathom how this came to pass."

As hard as it had been to take advice from a cheeky non-being that was nothing short of an incredible nuisance, he had taken the Granggob's advice to heart, so when he saw Granger flinch at his words, he instantly replayed them in his head. Oh.

"I did not mean to imply that there are not more than enough obvious reasons for me to find you attractive," he hastily blurted out, "it's just that we've always had a rather hostile relationship, so it did come as a big surprise to me."

He was relieved to see she had lost her pinched look. He pressed on. "Still, I need to make it clear that although a lot of what the Traggob has mentioned has made a lot of sense, we still disagree on the subject of…" he trailed off, unable to find the right words, and finished somewhat lamely "…Lily."

* * *

Hermione's chest ached when her name fell from his lips with a wistful tone. She had known that he loved her, would always love her, but to have it confirmed broke her heart a little more. She thought of how pathetic the whole situation was, her being in love with him while he loved a ghost.

Was she in love with him? It was not the first time she had pondered how she could be sure if her feelings were not some strange mixture of attraction and hero worship. It wasn't as if she had really been in love before. She had thought she had loved Ron that way, and for a while, the two of them had been an item. But before long, she had realized that she had been in love with the idea of being in love, and that Ron himself had had very little to do with it all. By then, they had been together for a couple of months and he had been more than ready to take the next step. Somehow, she had convinced herself that if they slept together, everything might fall into place. It had been a horrible mistake. When he had undressed her with fumbling fingers and wet lips, she had felt nothing except awkward, and at some point she had decided to think of her happy place and just let him get through with it. When his first thrust had ripped through her hymen, she had screamed in agony, pushing him off forcefully and clamping her hands between her legs. That had been that, as well as the end of their relationship.

What if what she felt for Snape was the same, horrible illusion? What if she fought for him all the way and then found out she did not really want him? She blanched at the thought. Maybe they both needed to find out more, to rid themselves of an obsession.

He must be having some deeper desires concerning her, otherwise the Traggob would not have taken her form, so he was probably not as averse to sleeping with her as she had thought.

Maybe they should just do it and see how it affected them. Maybe it would help them both to see clearer. At least she would know for sure how she felt.

She heard him clearing his throat and realized he was still waiting for some kind of answer to what he had told her. Looking at him, she took a deep breath. "I am well aware of how you feel for her, and how confusing it must be for you to be confronted with such a Traggob. I'm conflicted as well, to speak the truth."

His eyes showed a spark of surprise, and he motioned for her to keep talking.

"I'm not sure how much of this," she waved her hand in the air between them, "is due to fantasy and how much due to reality. I, too, cannot promise that anything the Traggob has shown for me is what I truly want."

Bracing herself to jump off a high, dangerous cliff, she forced out her next words. "I think we should have sex."

"I. Beg. Your. Pardon?"

"Our fantasies are always going to have a hold on us unless we make them a reality," she reasoned.

He opened his mouth, but could not find a fault in her logic, so he closed it again. Thinking about what she had proposed, he found himself swamped by a confusing mix of emotions, most of them not unpleasant.

He had thought about sleeping with her theoretically, but now that she was asking him to put it into practice, he found that he had to concentrate very hard to keep his hands from trembling.

He was surprised to find his voice sound as steady as ever as he replied. "Very well."

Their eyes locked, and instantly, the heat in the room turned to smoldering. Their breathing increased as they sat in their chairs, staring at each other hungrily. The tension became unbearable, and as if on a silent cue, both jumped up from their seats, lunging for each other.

She slung her arms around his neck while one of his hands slid around her waist, the other sliding into the thick strands of her hair. Their lips met and devoured each other frantically. She arched against him as she opened up to allow him to explore her mouth at leisure.

Fire raced through her body at his touch, and she was sure he was consumed by desire just as much as she was, judging from his enthusiastic responses. As she angled her hips closer to his body he groaned into her mouth before nibbling along the side of her neck.

Hot tingles spread outward from the spot and Hermione felt her knees go weak. "Oh, Merlin," she whispered, grabbing him by the hair and pulling his head up to look at him. His pupils were wide and there was a wild, slightly crazed look in his eyes.

"Take me to bed," she whispered hoarsely, and watched his eyes glaze over with desire.

"Oh yes," he rasped. As his hands moved over the swell of her bum, she wrapped her legs around his waist. Stifling a pleasurable groan as he held her in place, he proceeded towards his bedroom, trying to keep his balance while the witch in his arms kept attacking his lips with hers.

* * *

 **A/N: I know what you want. You know what** _ **I**_ **want. Reviews, people, tons of reviews! The more reviews, the bigger the bang ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: First chapter without the Granggob. I couldn't very well have her watching and commenting. A shame.**

 **But don't worry, she'll be back!  
**

* * *

Chapter 8

The door to the bedroom flew open and rebounded from the wall with a resounding smack. In a tangle of limbs, Severus stumbled inside, his hands occupied travelling over the body of the woman in his arms.

When they finally reached the bed, he dropped her onto it, only to follow her a second later, settling between her legs as he captured her lips with his. Hermione could not suppress a groan as he explored her mouth while one of his hands found her breast.

She was overwhelmed by his touch, his taste and his incredible smell. For so many years, she had forbidden herself to come too close to him because his scent, a delicious mixture of herbs, minerals and sandalwood had tugged at something deep inside of her that made her long for more.

To be finally able to kiss him, taste him, was a revelation to her. A fire burned inside her body with a heat she had not known before. Where his fingertips skimmed over her body, they left scorching trails. She did not think she could wait another minute to have all of him.

Her fingertips frantically attacked the buttons of his coat, only to be brushed away a second later by his hands, quickly doing the deed himself while she took the time to slip out of her clothes. When their naked skin touched, both hissed with pleasure. Their eyes locked again, and for a minute, neither of them moved, both breathlessly observing the reactions of the other.

She searched his dark eyes for doubts or hesitation, but only found desire and excitement. She pushed up her hips into his body and watched his eyes flutter shut.

"Please," she whispered, feeling on the brink already.

Although technically, she was no longer a virgin, she still did not think of herself as having had sex before. Ron had only been half way in, and that only for a second before the heel of her foot had kicked at his chest, catapulting him off the bed. She had not known how flexible she was until that night. She just wished she could have discovered the fact in a very different way. Maybe there was still time for that, she thought with a smirk as she wrapped her legs around Severus' waist, establishing firm contact between their lower bodies.

He cursed softly as his body spasmed in reaction to her touch. He lifted himself up on his elbows, moving his hips so he was seated at her entrance. She squeezed her thighs in encouragement and as he slowly pressed inside of her, their eyes found each other once again.

She was lost in the sensations coursing through her. It was as if he had filled a missing part of her she had not known existed. Waves of pleasure were rocking her body in time with his movements, made all the more intense by the way they were looking at each other.

She loved seeing how his face twisted in ecstasy, almost akin to pain. She felt the excitement build as she perused the lines of his face while he moved above her. He increased his rhythm, carrying her higher. When she saw his teeth biting into his lower lip, the sensual image finally sent her over the brink. Crying out his name, she arched her back, her nails biting into the flesh of his shoulders. He followed her a minute later with a growled moan. He rested his forehead on hers for a minute, catching his breath before rolling to the side as not to crush her.

* * *

Hermione snuggled up against him. As he wrapped his arm around her, she sighed contently. Outwards, she appeared completely calm, but inside, everything was in turmoil.

She had wanted to know how she felt about him. Now she knew. She was madly in love with her dark, snarky, and most likely unavailable former Potions professor. She wanted to kick herself for taking that final step, but at the same time, she knew she would not give up this experience for anything. It had been mind-blowing.

Her head spinning with thoughts while her body grew heavy, she fell asleep without noticing.

* * *

Severus Snape was lying in his bed, wide awake.

It had been amazing. AMAZING.

He looked down at the sleeping woman in his arms with wonder. How could she have elicited such a reaction from his body?

He had engaged in sexual relations before, but he had never felt anything for the women he had been with. It had been pleasurable, but that had been the extent of it. When he had heard others blabbering on about the magic of the experience, he had always thought they were just exaggerating for the sake of the story or their ego. But now, he finally understood. There _was_ magic in the experience. At least, there could be.

When she had run her hands along his body, it had felt as if electricity had sparked between them. His skin had tingled from her touch, raising goosebumps despite the heat. The way she had tasted and moved and sounded…

He had often imagined how sex with the love of his life – he did not want to think about her name right now – would have been, but this experience had surpassed everything that he had come up with in his mind. Sex with Granger had proven to be…

 _OUTSTANDING!_ The voice in the back of his mind supplied. _Not surprising, though – Granger has proven to be outstanding in nearly every skill._

The voice had started to sound a lot like the Granggob, Snape noticed.

He stretched his body, trying to gather his thoughts. There had been a reason why he had done this –

 _Because it had been fucking AMAZING!_ The Grangvoice interjected.

He had wanted to find out more about what he felt for Granger. And know he knew… nothing. He was more confused than ever.

The Grangvoice cackled in the back of his mind.

How could he feel that much for Granger when he had never felt that much for anyone before?

Aside from Lily, he quickly pointed out to keep the Grangvoice from speaking. Could it really be true that he had another shot at love? It seemed so impossible, after all this time.

A part of him would always be convinced there was only one woman for him. Always.

What he had felt for Lily had been one of a kind, a deep, all-consuming love. How could he ever be sure that what he felt for Granger was the real thing, and not some misguided desire that would flare out after a couple of weeks? He felt doubts creep up in his mind.

 _Oh, no! Here we go again_ … the Grangvoice sighed.

He regarded his feelings for both women from all sides, feeling none the wiser.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. Why had he not thought of this before? There was a way to know for sure!

Quietly, he slipped out of Granger's embrace and out of the bed, silently donning his clothes.

A _re you just going to leave her like this?!_ The Grangvoice asked pointedly.

He pulled out a piece of parchment, scribbled a note and left it on the pillow next to her head.

 _Oh, that is so much better now. She'll be thrilled to discover herself not alone after a night of unexpected passion but in the pleasant company of a hastily scribbled note._

Severus scowled and tried to quell the guilt rising up in his stomach. He did not want to hurt her, but he needed to know now. He could not stand this confusion any longer. He gave her a last, lingering look before he closed the door and walked off with purposeful strides.

* * *

 **A/N: Oh-oh, Severus! Where is he off to now? What do you think?**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Some guest readers have guessed correctly. Unfortunately, as I cannot reply to guest reviews, I could not tell you that you were right.**

 **Also: The Granggob is back!**

* * *

Chapter 9

The room had the stale air of an abandoned house, its gloomy atmosphere reinforced by furniture that was covered with thick drapes of fabric. As the door was opened, dust motes swirled in the air and danced about the room in graceful twirls before settling down again.

Severus Snape walked inside, closing the door slowly and carefully as not to disturb any more of the dust. He walked a couple of steps towards the center of the room where the largest bulk resided, also covered in fabric. His fingers toyed with the heavy cloth, but he was reluctant to reveal the large frame beneath it.

It had been several years since he had last looked into the Mirror of Erised. It had proven to be too much of a temptation, its allure too strong. Every time he had looked into it, he had seen the same thing – his Lily, finally coming to her senses and realizing who she really loved – _him_. Only him. Forever.

Conflicting emotions were swirling in his stomach, and he could not make sense of them. Indeed, he had not been able to ever since that Traggob stepped out of the wardrobe wearing Granger's body. But that was exactly why he was here.

Taking a deep breath, he grabbed hold of the fabric and pulled it off the mirror in one fluent move to finally look at his reflection.

His heart sped up in his chest when the mirror shimmered to reveal…

Lily. She was as beautiful as ever as she stepped up to his reflection, her eyes shining with emotion. "Severus," she whispered "forgive me, for I have been a fool. I should have seen it long before now, but somehow I convinced myself it wasn't true. But now I know – I love you, Severus, I always have and I always will."

His heart constricted painfully at the sight as usual, but this time, something was different. The painful longing he felt in his heart was not for Lily, but for the loss of the illusion he had held on to – that he might have been granted another chance at love. As it seemed, his destiny was as it always had been: forever in love with a woman who could never love him back.

He watched the familiar loop in the mirror, and he knew the words that would fall from her lips by heart: "Please, Severus, will you give me another chance?" He watched as tears glistened in her eyes as she spoke, her lower lip quivering delicately.

Slowly, she moved her hand to brush a strand of hair out of his face, but before her fingertips could make contact, they were slapped away by a slender but firm hand.

"Get your hands off my man!" Hermione Granger declared, stepping into view next to Severus' reflection.

"What?!"

Lily and the real Snape spoke at the same time, confusion etched on both of their faces. The Snape reflected in the mirror, however, displayed a smile that might even have looked a little smug to the keen observer.

Severus was dumbstruck as he watched the alternate scene unfold in the mirror.

"Severus," Lily whispered, "Please!"

"I'm sorry, Lily." Severus' reflection replied. "I did not want to string you along. I really do love you, but not in that way. I had not realized this for the longest time, but in the last years, it has become clear to me…" at this point, he took Granger's hand in his, linking their fingers "… that my concept of true love has been a misconception."

"Severus, no," Lily pleaded, "what we had was something special, you cannot deny that!"

"I agree, it was something special. Something very special to me. You were my best friend, my _only_ friend. It meant the world to me. You were all I had. It was only natural that, during puberty, I saw you as a potential partner. The _only_ potential partner. I never really knew other girls or other women, for that matter. I never discovered that there was more. More than we had."

At this point, Severus' reflection turned to Hermione, giving her a look of undiluted love. "I'm sorry, but my heart belongs to another." He slid his hands into her wild curls and pulled her in for a kiss. When their lips met, Lily faded away, leaving the two of them alone.

Hermione broke the kiss to lean her forehead against his chest before raising her head to gaze into his eyes. "You know that I love you, right?" Cupping his cheek with her hand, she continued, "I love you with your light sides and your dark sides and all the shades in between. You are the one I want."

As he leaned down to kiss her again, he whispered: "I know."

Severus was standing in front of the mirror, his eyes wide with shock, staring unfocused at the silvery surface where the loop started to play again. This time, he did not even watch it again. All his attention was taken up by the fact that it had changed. For the first time in his life, the scene he had watched had taken a different turn. He could not deny it any longer. He wanted Hermione Granger.

As the reality of the situation set in, he was first flooded with blissful excitement before a deep panic set in.

For one, he had never been in a relationship before and had no clue as what was expected of him. Plus, he realized, Hermione had voiced some doubts about her feelings for him, too. What if she woke up realizing that she had scratched an itch she had had for years and was finally free to move on?

The panic in his stomach wanted to turn into a full-blown attack. He tried to quell his reaction as best as he could, but still, his hands turned sweaty. What had he gotten himself into?

There was only one place he wanted to go now.

* * *

The Traggob stepped out of the wardrobe, and as it saw who it was, it shouted: "You hare-brained idiot!"

Severus winced at its angry expression. Advancing on him, poking its finger into his chest, the Granggob seethed: "What-have-you-done?!"

The finger poked deeper into his chest. "Why are you not with her? How could you have messed this up?!"

The Granggob straightened up to take a deep breath, for the first time noticing that Severus looked like a picture of misery.

It frowned. "This is no fun when you're already repentant. What happened?"

It walked to the couch, sitting down and patting the space next to it, motioning for him to sit down. He released a deep sigh as he settled himself down. He rested his head on the back of the couch and slung one arm up to cover his eyes.

The Granggob watched him with a bemused expression. It pulled up its legs and stretched them out across the couch, resting its calves on Severus' thighs. When he did not immediately push them away, its eyes widened. He must _really_ be out of it.

"Oh my God, Severus! I did finally sink in. You understand now!"

"I don't understand anything," he growled. "But now I know you were right."

The Granggob sighed, smiling wistfully. "Say that again."

"I don't understand anything."

"Well, I've heard it once. I shall never forget it."

He pushed its legs off his lap. "You're a terrible nuisance."

The Granggob quirked its eyebrow at that, pointedly looking at the gold watch on its slender wrist. "And that is why you came back looking for my company no mere four hours after you have left?"

"A terrible nuisance that in rare instances offers some astounding insights. Now do your thing."

"Excuuuuse me?" the Granggob exclaimed. "Do my thing?!"

"Yes," he grumbled. "That thing where you take such joy in rubbing in my face what a terrible idiot I've been but somehow help me along in the process."

"Well," the Granggob drawled out, tapping its index finger against its lips, "I think I might be inclined to do just that."

* * *

 **A/N: By the way, the Granggob had decided not to charge anything for its sessions with Severus as they are so much fun. Reviews though, it would appreciate very much.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Finally, Granggob time!**

* * *

Chapter 10

The Granggob slid forward in its seat, its eyes glittering. "So, did you do it?"

Snape gave a deep sigh, suddenly at a loss for words. Finally, he managed: "Yes, we did. It was…"

"Amazing?" The Granggob grinned as it saw Severus' expression confirming her suspicions.

"Outstanding," he whispered.

"Oh, I knew it!" It exclaimed, giving a joyful wiggle dance in her seat.

Then a frown clouded its face. "But then why are you here?"

"There is still one thing I do not understand. And it's driving me crazy. I need to get to the bottom of this _now_." He ran his fingers through the dark strands of his hair. "You see, my feelings for Lily – they have not changed in all of those years. My love for her was what has carried me through my darkest times. She was the one I did everything for. How could what I have seen in the mirror have changed if I still feel the same way about her? Something just doesn't add up."

The Granggob frowned at him. "As most mirrors will have reflected the same surly visage as ever back at you for the last couple of years, I'm guessing you're talking about some kind of charmed mirror?"

He scowled at her before explaining. "The Mirror of Erised shows you the deepest, most desperate desires of your heart."

"Ah. Sounds familiar somehow." The Granggob shot him a small grin and waved its hand for him to continue.

"I've always seen the same thing in it every time – Lily, how she realizes that she loves me, _only_ me. And then we kiss." He studied his fingertips before moving on. "But this time – this time, when she reached out for me, her hand was slapped away as Hermione stepped into the picture."

"You go, girl!" The Granggob whooped.

"Well, anyways, she told Lily that I was hers, and Mirror-Snape confirmed it. They kissed and Lily just faded away…"

Snape turned towards the Granggob as he heard its wistful sigh. It had its hands clasped under its chin, eyes shining. "That's beautiful!" it whispered.

Snape snarled. Soppy women.

"Well, yes, but if what you suppose is true – that I love Granger, not Lily – then why did I see Lily in the mirror this time at all?"

The Granggob reclined in its chair, drawing a deep breath and opened its mouth to answer before it hesitated. "You sure you want to hear this?"

Snape nodded.

"No, really, it's not going to be nice. I'm not going to sugarcoat things." The Granggob arched an eyebrow at Snape.

"Go on," he growled, "I can take it."

"Well," the Granggob said, drawing the words out slowly, "it's because she's a bitch and you wanted to rub your happiness in her face."

"Pardon me?" Snape looked deeply offended. "She most certainly is not. Agreed, she had some faults, but still…"

"Severus," the Granggob said, sliding forwards in its seat to peer deeply into his eyes, "true friends don't turn their back on you just because you've hurled an offending word at them in the midst of a heated argument. Especially if you apologize in a heartfelt way afterwards." Raising its eyebrows and holding up its palms as if to conclude its speech, the Granggob calmly stated again: "She's a bitch."

Severus sat there, confounded. "How did you know about that? About what I called her?"

"When I was her, I knew everything you thought she must have known. Ergo – I know just what a bitch she was."

"Would you stop saying that?!" Severus hissed. "That's not what she was."

"Oh, I see," the Granggob nodded in understanding. "Denial again."

Severus' seething stare could have burned holes into the Granggob, but it just sat there, unaffected by his fury, happily grinning at him.

"She was my best friend for many years," he ground out. "I know what kind of person she was. She was kind, caring and brave-"

"until she turned her back on you," the Granggob interrupted, tsk-tsking.

"I loved her!" Severus shouted.

"No, you didn't!" the Granggob shouted back.

Severus fumed. "Now you're going to far! I did love her, I know it!"

"Yeah, well, you felt for her what you thought was love."

"Now you're saying I did not know what love was?" His black eyes bore into the Granggob's. "She was the first thing I thought of when I woke up and the last thing on my mind when I went to sleep. When anything exciting in my life happened, she was the first one I wanted to tell about it. Any happy moments that I have experienced in my youth were all in connection with her. How would you call that?"

The Granggob contemplated his words, then replied with its own questions. "How many other friends did you have besides her? Whom did you tell about the exciting things that happened to you after you had told her? Did you ever do anything that you enjoyed with any other classmates aside from Lily?"

Severus opened his mouth, but nothing came out. The Granggob had a point there, although he was loath to admit it. He never had been interested in finding other friends. His sole focus had always been on Lily.

"Severus," the Granggob said in a conversational tone, "tell me what you liked about Lily as a person. The things you enjoyed about her."

"Well, for one, she was smart. Brilliant, really."

The Granggob harrumphed. "As smart as Granger?"

"That would be comparing apples to oranges," Severus replied dryly.

"I'll take that as a 'no'," the Granggob informed him.

Severus glowered, but continued. "Also, she could be funny."

"Mhm." The Granggob narrowed its eyes, contemplating his words. "You said 'could be funny'. Not 'was funny'. Makes me wonder if you really did enjoy her sense of humor. Did she make you laugh? And did she, in turn, enjoy your sense of humor? Somehow I don't see her as a sucker for sarcasm."

"Well, maybe we were not that compatible in our sense of humor, but there was a lot more…" his voice trailed off.

"Yes?" the Granggob looked at him expectantly.

"Errrm." Severus hesitated, a deep frown slicing his forehead as he dug deep into his memories, trying to find something else that he could name.

"Well, she was… we…um… we did things together. Like walking around the lake. It was nice." Realizing how pathetic that sounded, he buried his face in his hands.

"Oh, yes, 'doing things together' and 'it was nice' really has my heart beating faster," the Granggob drawled. "Well, let's see. Granger, on the other hand. You have had a lot of heated discussions, yes? She enjoys books just as much as you do. She appreciates a dry sense of humor." The Granggob kept counting the points on her fingers. "You are interested in the same subjects, and she keeps you on your toes and vice versa. The few times that you actually had to work together, you even enjoyed working next to her in silence. You felt comfortable around her. Although on the surface, you kept bickering, you always sought out her company because you felt you could trust her, because you knew whatever mean insults you hurled at her, she would forgive you and return to allow your bickering to continue. And when you were finally with her, after all this time, it was…"

"Amazing," he whispered. "She is amazing."

"Yes!" the Granggob whispered excitedly. "Yes! And now go and tell her just that!"

Severus jumped out of his seat, grabbing his coat before casting a tempus charm. "Shit," he hissed, "she's probably already awake. She'll never forgive me for leaving her with only that note."

"Oh, no!" The Granggob exclaimed with a scowl, resting its hands on its hips. "You are not going to ruin this. There is still a way to save the day, trust me."

With that, it shoved him in the direction of the door, whispering instructions all the while. The Granggob opened the door. "Go get her, tiger!"

Severus glared at it before sweeping out of the door with purposeful strides. The Granggob beamed after his retreating form like a proud parent. "And come back when you find the time and tell me all about it," it shouted down the staircase where Severus was rapidly disappearing.

"And bring Firewhiskey!" it bellowed before firmly closing the door and giving a satisfied nod to itself.

* * *

 **A/N: I missed the Traggob and I hope you did, too. It's late at night but I wanted to send this out before I went to bed. Will you surprise me for breakfast with a nice review? *stomach grumbles hungrily for your approval*  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thank you for all your lovely reviews, they made my day! I am very happy you agree with my view of Lily ;)  
Special thanks to ****FrancineHibiscus, one of your reviews sparked an idea for this chapter! :)**

* * *

Chapter 11

Hermione woke from a deep slumber and stretched her aching limbs. She felt wonderful, if sore. As she blinked her eyes against the morning light, her memories of the night before suddenly rushed back all at once. Her breath caught in her throat as her body erupted into sweet tingles. She had finally been with the man she loved. It had been incredible, mind-blowing, and she could not wait for a repeat performance.

Lazily swinging her arm over to his side of the bed, her hand came into contact with cold sheets instead of the warm body she had expected. Her eyes still sensitive to the light, she swept her arm over the place where he was supposed to be, only to come up empty. Her fingertips, though, came into contact with a small scrap of parchment.

Frowning, she held it up to her nose and peered at it. She would have recognized his scrawled handwriting under thousands, and although it was hastily scribbled, she had no problems deciphering it.

" _There is something that I have to take care of right now. I will be back."_

What in all of the world? The parchment dropped from her limp fingers. How could he have left her after what had happened last night? What was so important that he had to leave her?

Maybe, their shared night had not meant the same to him as it had to her, the nagging voice in the back of her mind spoke up. Maybe, he has scratched his itch and discovered that he still can't forget about Lily. Or maybe, it reasoned, he had gone to give all the juicy details to his new and favorite friend, the Traggob.

Her hands tightened into fists. She would not be sitting here like some idiot, waiting for Prince Charming to return. Throwing on her clothes hastily, she checked herself in the mirror, trying to flatten down her mop of hair that literally spoke volumes about a night spent with passionate endeavors.

Grabbing her purse, she made for the door. As she swung it open forcefully, she came face to face with the one person she wanted to see least right now.

* * *

Severus held his breath as, just as his hand was about to touch the handle of his door, it was ripped wide open, revealing a furious Hermione, her eyes shooting daggers at him.

Oh Gods, he thought, here we go. He remembered the Granggob's instructions to the letter, and as reason had left him at the sight of the woman who stole his breath, he decided to just parrot everything the Granggob had told him.

He held up the paper bag he was holding in his left hand, moving it into her line of vision so that she could no longer glare menacingly into his eyes, but instead had to glare at the bag.

He cleared his throat to assure that his voice had the silky timbre the Granggob had insisted he employ on delivering his message. "Croissants?"

He held his breath. As she didn't cut him down immediately, he continued with his script. "There is this tiny French bakery, quite some way off, but the flaky, buttery crusts of their freshly baked croissants is just too delectable. I thought they might do for a nice breakfast in bed?"

There. Biting his lip, he waited for her to speak. The view of her face was still obstructed by croissants, so he could not glean her reaction.

Finally he heard her whisper emotionally: "You went all the way over town just to bring me croissants?"

Oh thank God, Severus thought.

* * *

Hermione was so relieved she thought she might cry. There she had thought he had left her for something – someone – else, when in truth he had just wanted to treat her to something special. All her anger had melted away at his explanation, and all she wanted to do now was what he had proposed: to have a delectable breakfast in bed.

Her left hand snapped the bag of croissants out of his grasp, while her right one grasped the fabric of his coat to pull him inside.

As soon as the door was closed, she pushed him against it, molding her body to his. She had missed him so much although he'd only left for a short while. When she looked up at him, her eyes locked with his. She could see a multitude of emotions, but there was something new among them, something she had not seen before. A tenderness.

His hands tightened on her hips, pulling her into him, his lips capturing hers. They were warm and soft, but demanding at the same time. She melted into his embrace and allowed herself to be swept away by a wave of feelings. Her hands moved up on their own accord, grabbing two handfuls of his hair, holding him in place as she passionately explored his mouth. His answering moan of pleasure told her he enjoyed her ardor.

She thought he might pull back after a while, but to her surprise and pleasure, he was just as much into kissing her as she was. His hands roamed over her body as the bag of croissants lay at their feet, forgotten, the delicious pastry slowly turning cold as they devoured each other.

Hermione contemplated how to lure him back to bed when her stomach grumbled loudly in protest, being the only one not having forgotten about the croissants.

She sighed wistfully as Severus pulled back to smirk at her, picking up the bag of croissants. "I think it might be a good idea to feed you before we proceed any further."

With a wistful sigh, she accepted the proffered bag and watched him walk into the kitchen to lay the table.

The smell of the freshly backed croissants reached her nose and she moaned at the scent. Her stomach voiced its opinion loudly. Complying, she reached into the bag and pulled one of them out, sinking her teeth into its soft, delicious depths. She moaned when the first bite of flaky pastry dissolved on her tongue and she gobbled down the rest of it in eager bites.

Carefully refolding the bag as not to let him know she had inhaled one of them already, she smoothed out the last wrinkles in the bag. She studied the picture of a quaint little house on the front, obviously depicting the bakery, the address written in delicate letters below it.

Hermione frowned as she read the address. She knew the name of that street. She had passed it not long ago. When and where had that been?

* * *

The plates were already sitting on the table and Severus had turned to the cupboard to pull out his favorite tea. As such, he could not see the bag of croissants sailing elegantly through the air to hit him smack on the back of his head.

"Youuuuu!" Hermione screeched. "You manipulating bastard! You did not go to that part of town for the bakery, did you?! You went to see _her_ – it – that Traggob! I know exactly that this street is just around the corner of her place."

Damn it. That witch was too smart for her own good. "Well, yes, but I am here now!"

As her hair began to frizz, electric sparks running along the wild strands, he knew that answer had been the wrong one. In an instant, her wand was in her hand and he had to duck for cover as a few nasty hexes flew over his head.

"How dare you?!" she shouted, "After last night, how could you leave me like that for that - that thing?" She emphasized the 'thing' by shooting a rather nasty jinx at him.

"Look, whatever you think happened, you are wrong!" Severus shouted out from behind the table.

"Oh yes?" she shouted back, "So you did not stealthily slip out of the bed where you had, only minutes before, passionately made love to me, just to sneak off to some Traggob to spill the beans about what had just occurred, probably analyzing the whole thing, picking everything apart while joking around all the while? Maybe there was even a nice glass of firewhiskey involved to accompany all that gossiping. How far am I off?"

Damn that witch. She truly was brilliant. "If you put it like that, it does sound rather incriminating."

A shriek of fury as well as a plate that shattered under a particularly nasty nonverbal hex were her only response.

"It was not _gossiping_ ," he defended himself. "I needed to talk to the Traggob because somehow it has a way of helping me see the truth of the situation."

He was waiting for her next hex, but everything remained silent.

"And what is the truth of the situation?"

Severus took a deep breath. This was it. He had to tell her how he felt about her. Sweat broke out all over his body as anxiety took his breath away. What if he messed this up?

* * *

 **A/N: dun dun duuuuun!**

 **So, to the readers asking for Hermione to get her revenge – are you happy? ;)**

 ***wriggles her eyebrows***


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Finally – Snape's confession**

* * *

Chapter 12

"Can we maybe talk face to face instead of wand to table?" Severus ventured.

After a pregnant silence, he heard a soft sigh. "Fine."

Carefully peeking around a corner – she did have some Slytherin tendencies – he raised himself to full height, meeting her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I should have told you from the start where I was. I was just hoping we could talk about something more important first."

* * *

Hermione held her breath. Something more important. This was it – he was finally going to tell her how he felt about her. Remembering how pained he was at prospect of being unfaithful to Lily, she did not dare to hope.

His gaze flicked away from her as he started speaking. "It has been obvious that Potter was not able to keep his mouth shut concerning my memories involving his mother. So you must also be aware that she was the main focus of my life, my emotions and my plans for the future. That I considered her the true love of my life. Always."

Something inside Hermione broke at his words. She should have known she would always come second to Lily. Could she live with that? She was so absorbed in her shock and pain that she almost failed to register that he had continued.

"But during the last weeks, it has become clear to me that I was wrong."

What?! She could almost hear the sound of screeching tires inside her head. Had he really just said what she thought he had said?

"I thought I loved her because she was all I had. Literally. I never had another friend aside from her, and the only compassion that anyone had shown me during my childhood had come from her. Of course I thought she hung the moon and stars. What I did not see, though, was how ill-suited the two of us really were. We did not share many traits, and she lost interest in me as soon as better opportunities arose. I held on to my feelings for her because I had nothing else, had never known anything else."

He paused, meeting her eyes again. Hermione felt her anxiety peak, her stomach in nervous flutters.

"And then you came along. And slowly I realized – very, very slowly, and the realization had not occurred until recently – that there was so much more than that. I discovered that although you annoyed me like no one before, I very much enjoyed your presence. I enjoyed our discussions, our arguments, your sense of humor. I just did not allow myself to see it. Somehow I thought that if it turned out that what I felt for Lily wasn't the real thing, it would take away so much of who I thought I was. I was too afraid to acknowledge it. And I wouldn't have, had it not been for..."

He trailed off and she finished his sentence for him. "…the Traggob."

"Yes. It saw right through me, and for some reason, it decided to… interfere. To push me into the right direction. Well, it would be more accurately described if I said the Traggob pushed me into it face-first, cackling all the while. But still – the Traggob did help me see the truth, although I fought it every step of the way. And now I am very glad it did. Without all of its pushing, I wouldn't be here, to tell you that…"

He paused again, drawing a deep breath, his fist clenching at his side as if he was preparing to jump of a high cliff. Hermione's heart raced off in a mad rhythm.

"…that you are the most amazing woman I have ever met. And although my concept of love had been so messed up that I dare not use that word, I need to tell you that you mean more to me than I could express in words. I want to be with you, share my life with you for as long as you will have me. If you will have me."

There was a ringing in Hermione's ears and it was hard to draw a breath. Had she really just heard what she thought she had heard? Had he really said he wanted her, to share his life with her? Butterflies erupted in her stomach as her knees turned weak.

* * *

"If you will have me."

His last sentence hung heavy in the silence between them as he stood there, waiting for her to speak. He had bared his heart to her, making himself vulnerable in a way he had never done before. Although he did not want to admit it, he was gripped by a stark fear that she might reject him. He did not know how he could live with that.

She stood there, frozen, and his heart clenched in his chest. Couldn't she say something, anything?

Suddenly, she burst into tears. "Oh, Severus," she sobbed.

Fuck. She was crying. He knew with women, there was good crying and bad crying, but he had never been able to tell the difference. He wished the Granggob was here to tell him which of the two it was.

Hermione looked up at him, crystal tears spilling over her soft cheeks. "Oh Gods, how long I have waited to hear you say something like this," she whispered before rising up on the tips of her toes to touch her lips to his.

A wave of intense relief rolled through Severus. Good crying. I had been good crying. She wanted him, too.

The soft touch of her lips ignited a fire deep inside of him. He slid his arms around her as he devoured her mouth like a starving man. She molded herself to him, her hands tightening the raven strands of his hair.

The pleasure of kissing her was heightened by the words she had uttered, still circling in his mind. He broke off the kiss to peer deeply into her eyes.

"For how long have you waited to hear me say something like this?" he inquired hoarsely.

She sighed into his neck, then touched her forehead to his chest. She had not spoken yet, and he wondered why she did not answer. He lifted her chin to look at her face. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyelids fluttered as she stared at his chest, not daring to meet his eyes. "For years," she finally sighed.

Years? It didn't make any sense. She had not even been back at Hogwarts for that long.

"I don't understand. You never considered Potions for your apprenticeship and the only reason that seemed logical to me was that you disliked me too much to work that close with me."

A shy smile played around her lips as she traced a finger along the row of buttons on his chest. "Oh, Severus – the reason I never considered Potions was because I was afraid that you would find out about how I felt. I could never have survived your ridicule, and I was sure that was the only thing in store for me."

There was a stab of something in his heart that was almost painful, but it was a sweet pain full of longing and tenderness. He stroked her cheek as she continued.

"I had a crush on you for years, but only after the final battle, after I thought you had died – " her voice broke at that, "did I realize just how much you meant to me. And when it turned out that you were still alive, that you would return to school to teach us in my final year, I was frozen in shock when I met you. I was so afraid that you would be able to see my feelings written clearly over my face."

"That is why you stopped raising your hand in my class? You did not want to draw my attention? Finally, something makes sense again. I knew you would not stop being an insufferable overachiever."

She swatted at his chest, scowling. "Severus Snape! Here I was, close to licking you from head to toe when you start saying things like that. I'll be rethinking that licking."

All he registered was her sweet mouth forming the words 'lick you from head to toe' and his mind went into overdrive, instantly conjuring up the most delicious scenarios. One of his hands grasped her hip, the other tunneling into her hair as his mouth crushed hers in a searing kiss. She instantly responded, exploring his mouth with equal fervor.

His hand moved from under her hip to her bosom, lifting her up so that she could wrap her legs around his waist. Like the night before, he stumbled into the bedroom in a tangle of limbs.

They undressed each other with trembling hands until their naked skin touched again.

Their second lovemaking was as feverent as their first. He had wanted to take his time exploring her body, but she had growled at him and had murmured something about 'next time' before rolling him over on his back and proceeded to grasp him with a firm hand, making them one just a moment later.

It had been a crazy ride – literally – and he cried out hoarsely when she finally collapsed on top of him. He brought up his arms to hold her in place, her delicious weight on his torso oddly comforting. Her breathing evened out and he gathered she must have fallen asleep on him. With a smirk, he looked at her face, her lashes fanning out over her cheeks. She was incredibly beautiful and she was his. How he ever deserved someone like her, he would never know.

He just lay there, feeling her soft curves pressed against him and reveling in the unexpected sensation of complete contentment.

An hour later, when she roused from her sleep, he was still wide awake, the same smirk lifting the corners of his lips. Hermione raised herself on her elbows, smiling in response.

This time, they made love taking all of the time in the world. He explored her body leisurely, and she in turn made good on her promise to lick him from head to toe.

* * *

They spend all day in bed, indulging in everything they'd ever dreamed about, shutting the world out completely. When the sun started to descend towards the horizon, casting a fiery glow through the bedroom window, Hermione sighed in contentment. She turned towards Severus, sharing a loving smile.

His dark eyes met hers, and she had the feeling he wanted to tell her something important. "This is completely new territory for me," he said. "I have never been in a relationship like this so I don't really know what I'm doing. I can only try to do my best to show you how much you mean to me."

His hand came up to tug on one of her curls, rubbing the silky strands between his fingers. "I don't think I've ever had a real friend, either, so it might take some time for me to get used to all this." A wistful expression crossed his face, and her heart ached in her chest at the thought that he considered himself without friends.

There were a lot of people that had been interested in establishing a friendship with him, first and foremost Minerva, but he had never allowed anyone to see behind those walls he had erected around himself.

Except for you-know-who, the voice in the back of her mind spoke up. There was someone aside from her who had reached out and managed to connect with him despite his icy façade. Loath as she was to admit it, the Traggob had been a good friend to Severus, and without it, he would probably never have overcome his obsession with Lily. Hermione would probably never reach the same level of friendship with the Traggob that the two of them shared, but she did not want to stand in the way of the one relationship he would probably consider a friendship.

With a deep sigh, she slipped out of the bed and made a bee line to the cupboard, rummaging around.

"What are you doing?" Severus grumbled. "Get back to bed."

A minute later, Hermione discovered what she had been looking for. Hiding the object behind her back, she returned to the bed. Kneeling in front of Severus, she finally revealed what she had hidden from view.

* * *

Severus frowned as he studied the bottle of firewhiskey that she held out to him. Did she want to drink with him? Maybe toast to the future? He gave her a bewildered look.

She smirked. "I think you might want to take this along."

"Take it along where?" He eyed her suspiciously. What was she up to?

"You know, I have some work to do and I thought you might like to use the time to pay a visit to your… friend. I am sure the Traggob is bursting at the seams, waiting to now if its mad plan has worked out." Her eyes softening, she continued. "And I can see that you'd like to go and talk to it about it. I do not want to keep you from the one person that you seem to be able to connect with aside from me."

A tentative smile spread across his face, reaching the depths of his eyes. Hermione was again overwhelmed at the onslaught of emotions that this smile caused in her stomach. She would willingly accept the presence of that annoying Traggob in her life if it made him happy.

* * *

The Traggob heard the click of the doorknob. A ray of light shone inside the wardrobe where it nestled comfortably. Rising, it carefully extended its hand to push against the door. The view into the room was revealed as the door swung open. Leaning against the doorjamb, a bottle of firewhiskey in his hand and a satisfied smirk on his face, stood Severus Snape.

The Granggob bounded out of the wardrobe with an excited shriek, wrapping its arms around Severus and hugging him in a fierce embrace. "You did it!" it exclaimed. "You told her!"

It was babbling in its excitement. "What did she say? What was her reaction when you told her? Did she look like this?"

The Granggob tried for a wistful expression.

"I've never seen her grinning that stupidly in all of my life." Severus remarked dryly.

The Granggob snorted and poured firewhiskey into two tumblers, handing one of them to Severus. Pushing one of the armchairs towards him with its foot, the Granggob reclined on the couch.

"Now spill the beans, Snape."

* * *

 **A/N: Oh, Severus, you finally did it! But the Granggob's not quite through with you! There's more to come in the next chapter, but until then... *points to the review box with a grin* Pretty please?  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: A shorter chapter, but the Granggob just needed to get a word in.**

* * *

Chapter 13

Reclining in the chair that he now claimed as his, Severus stretched out his long legs and swirled the dark liquid inside his tumbler before enjoying a small sip of firewhiskey. He met the Granggobs eyes with a knowing smirk, and quirking one eyebrow, he drawled: "I told her."

Giving a satisfied nod, he took another sip of his whiskey.

The Granggob sat perched on the couch, its slack mouth slightly opened in astonishment and confusion. "What the?! This is not all you are going to tell me about this! I want details, you hear me?!"

He frowned at it. "We're together now – what else do you need to know?" Running through the events of the last couple of hours, his frown deepened. "At least I think we're together."

"You think?!"

"We… um… we didn't really talk about that." The frown between his eyebrows was about to cleave his forehead in two.

"What did you talk about, then?"

Severus shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He hated talking about feelings. But that's why he was here, wasn't he? It seemed he was some kind of masochist.

"I told her that she was the one I wanted and not…" he trailed off.

"…Lily." The Granggob finished his sentence with deep satisfaction. "This is glorious, just glorious. Tell me what she looked like when you told her you never loved that cow."

He stared at the Granggob pointedly, obviously annoyed at its bovine reference.

"Oh, come on!" It grinned at him good-naturedly. "I just can't stand her. Let me revel a bit in that triumph."

"She was not _that_ bad."

" _Blech_!" The Granggob released a retching sound. "Let's agree to disagree on that front, shall we? So, what did she look like when you told her?"

This time, the Granggob just stared at him expectantly.

"She was happy?"

The Granggob groaned and slid lower on the couch. "You are a major disappointment, you know that? Do I have to squeeze everything out of you?! What were her exact words when she replied?"

"After sprouting a fountain of tears, she said she had waited years for me to say something like that." His voice sounded rather smug.

"And then you had your wicked way with her?" the Granggob inquired with gleaming eyes.

"Repeatedly," Severus confessed with a grin. Gods, it did feel wonderful to be able to brag about it. He had never been the type, ever, to talk about things like that but in the presence of the Granggob, his mouth just seemed to run off on its own.

"And then, after everything, she let you come here?"

He nodded, a look of such doting happiness on his face that he would have slapped it off himself had he been able to see it.

The Granggob grinned at him. "Well, that woman is perfect, it seems. Time to snatch her up!"

"Well, I have," he said, arching an eyebrow.

"I meant something more permanent and symbolic." It wriggled its eyebrows at him in response.

"Whoah!" he said, holding up his hands. "Wait just a minute! You're getting ahead of yourself. Far, far ahead."

"Severus," the Granggob said in an almost chastising tone of voice.

"So far ahead it's hard to see you, you're that small."

"Severus!"

He raked his hands through his hair. "Seriously, we've just found out we like each other. Would you give us some time?!"

"What, like you haven't wasted enough time already?!" it scoffed. "That woman could have been yours for years!"

He grimaced. "If I had indeed made my move years ago, she would have still been my student and I her Potions professor. Highly inappropriate."

"But oh so sexy," the Granggob purred.

"Excuse me?"

"Never mind," it sighed. "A personal fantasy of mine." Shaking its head, it continued. "The point is – you know you want her, she knows she wants you: why wait?"

He scowled. "Why rush?"

"Because you want to," the Granggob grinned at him.

"Oh, please, take your traggoby-I-know-everything-skills and go flush them. They're totally out of sync with reality." He scoffed. "I don't need that romantic marriage crap as long as the woman I want is in my arms and wants to be mine."

The Granggob tsk-tsked at him. "Denial again, dear Severus. A shame. There I thought you might be able to get in touch with your softer side."

"There is no softer side and nothing to deny. This time you're just wrong. I am happy to wait or not to get married at all."

The Granggob just chuckled as it sat there, self-satisfaction dropping from its every pore. It was smug. Too smug.

"What do you know that I don't?" he growled, already regretting he had asked the minute the words left his mouth.

The Granggob's smug smile turned into a sly grin as it folded its arms across its ample chest. "Oh Severus, for a former spy you're terribly unobservant."

He did not want to look at its chest, but obviously, there was something there he had failed to see. Trying not to look at the happy nipples winking at him, he narrowed his eyes and searched the surrounding area with his gaze.

It hit him right between the eyes. How could he not have seen this before?! There, glinting in the soft light was a ring of white gold wrapped around the slender finger of the Granggob's left hand. The dark green emerald nestled in its bed of diamonds declared it the family heirloom that sat in his bank account at Gringott's.

Holy Shit.

"Don't give me that look," the Granggob drawled. " _You_ put it there."

* * *

 **A/N: Oh, Severus, you did not see that coming, did you?**

 **Review if you love the Granggob!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I want to thank you all for your lovely reviews. RL has kept my busy and the QLFC took up more time and energy than expected. All the more lovely when I still receive such wonderful reviews.**

 **Special thanks to Fivefatducks, Alekay22, Elimorgana, JoyceFleur,** ** **bright. star .007** , Snapes-star, Calindy, Shnazy, ACupples, Glass-NotCannon, GP00 for those extra special reviews. They made me go back to this story first. :)**

* * *

Chapter 14

" _You_ put it there." The words were ringing in his head.

Marriage? For God's sake, what was he thinking?! They had just found each other, it was much too soon.

The Granggob cackled at his expression. "Oh, Severus, your face! I will hold on to this memory for the rest of my life. Precious!" It had to blink rapidly to hold off tears of merriment.

Then it halted in surprise at the lack of a snarled response and cast a glance in his direction.

The look of intense panic on his face was delicious, but the Granggob also felt a tug of sympathy at the sight. Ach, those confused little humans. It really liked this specimen. He was so much fun and entertainment. The Granggob decided it had been a wise decision to allow him to come visit without having to pay for it.

The Traggob had always lived a fickle existence, never settling down anywhere. It had once or twice tried to stay in one place for a longer period of time, but after a while, it became bored of its surroundings and moved on, frolicking through life from place to place until it allowed another "employer" to "catch" it. They never knew it could not really be caught, that it could disappear at will, until one day they would find their wardrobe empty when the Traggob had moved on to greener pastures.

But this time, something was different. This time, it had connected to this surly snarky human that made time fly as if it was swept away by a summer breeze. For the first time, the Traggob had had the chance to explore the mind and soul of a human, and it liked what it saw. A lot. He was like a best friend the Traggob never knew it had been looking for.

Kind of like a stray dog, it mused. Yes, Severus was her lovely stray mutt that she had brought in from the cold, showing him that life could be better, that he did not have to sit outside in the rain.

Sighing wistfully, it slid off the couch and walked over to Severus, who still sat frozen in his chair in a shocked panic. It slid one arm around his shoulders and awkwardly patted him on the top of his head. "There, there. Everything will be alright."

He scowled at her. "You are likening me to a dog in your head right now, aren't you?!"

It smirked at him. "I just can't keep anything from you, can I? You're just too smart. Such a good boy!" She ruffled his hair and he angrily swiped at her hand, but she did not relent. "You're like that scruffy, fleabitten mongrel that slinks around in a dark side street, lost and unloved. And then I found you and took you in. I've adopted you. You're my pet now, you know?"

"Very funny," he replied dryly.

"Oh come on. You can count yourself lucky that I did not neuter you. That would have gotten rid of all your problems with a snap! Literally!"

"Damn it, Granggob, cut it out!"

" _What_ did you just call me?!" The Granggob stared at him, flabbergasted.

Severus felt uncomfortable, having unwillingly spilt his nickname for the Traggob. "Well," he hedged, "you never gave me a name to work with, so I had to find something to call you..."

"You know," it smirked, "when people start giving names to their fellow creatures, it always means the same thing. You've adopted me, too!" The Traggob gave him a big, warm hug while Severus went rigid. "And I like it - my name. I've never had one before. It kind of makes me sentimental to have one, now." It sighed happily.

Then it cleared its throat. "Now, back to the problem at hand. Why are you so paniky about taking the next step?"

"I really don't know what she expects of our future, so I really don't know if either of us is up for any form of permanent commitment."

"Well, then the solution is easy, isn't it?" The Granggob smiled at his confused expression. "Go and find out. Talk to her."

He snarled. "Well, what a genius observation. How come I did not think of that?" Sarcasm dripped off every word. "What if our expectations do not match? What then?!"

"Is not talking about it going to change anything about the problem?" the Traggob shot back.

"No. However..." His black gaze clashed with the Granggob's. "It would be nice to at least have more time with her than two days."

The Granggob frowned. "Why? Do your expectations differ so much?"

"She is a young witch who, I am sure, has imagined a life with children. I, on the other hand, have never wanted to pass on any of my genes. I do not want to be a father. Ever. I don't think she can cope with that."

The Traggob frowned. "Well, that is a dilemma. But at the same time, it is not fair to her, either, not to tell her about this soon. She's already in love with you and is only going to fall harder the more time the two of you spend together."

Severus gave and exasperated groan. "Why in all of the world did you have to play the guilty conscience card?! Now I cannot even enjoy the time I have left until I have to tell her!"

"Hey – I just pointed it out. You're the one feeling guilty – for good reason, if I may say so."

He glowered in the direction of the Traggob. "When did you start taking _her_ side?!" Snape demanded. "I thought you were _my_ friend!"

"I _am_ your friend. Which is why I am pulling your head out of your arse. You need to deal with this."

"Fine!" he spat. "I am leaving to deal with this… _dilemma_. You interfering little…"

The rest of his words got lost into the folds of his fabric as he pulled his robes around himself, preparing to leave.

"Hey, I'm here for you if you need me!" the Granggob called out as the door was swinging shut behind him. It shook its head with a smile before retreating into its wardrobe.

* * *

Time in the presence of the Granggob seemed to fly by, so Severus was not surprised to see it was pitch black outside. He turned on his heel and apparated home.

When he snuck into the bedroom, Hermione was already tangled in the covers, asleep. Quietly, he undressed and slipped between the sheets, cradling her close. He was relieved that he did not have to talk with her now. Nevertheless, he decided that he would talk to her tomorrow.

He ran his fingers through her hair and then bent to place a soft kiss on the corner of her mouth. Murmuring happily, she turned head to capture his lips with hers. Soon, all thoughts fled his mind as she showed him exactly how happy she was to have him back.

* * *

 **A/N: Review if you love the Granggob!**


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